Ranking the 3 best trade packages Hawks can get for Dejounte Murray

1. Utah Jazz solidify their core with Dejounte Murray trade

After a 7-16 start to the 2023-24 season, the Utah Jazz have turned things around. Sitting at 25-26, Utah finds themselves in 10th place in the Western Conference standings and the mix for the NBA Play-In Tournament, at worst (4.5 games back of a top-six seed). 

The Jazz have overachieved in their first season under head coach Will Hardy to the point that they have found themselves in the thick of the Dejounte Murray sweepstakes. 

Murray and the Jazz would be an intriguing fit. He’d give Utah another core player to pair with All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen and defensive stalwart Walker Kessler who is under contract through 2027-28. For a small market franchise like the Jazz, acquiring high-level players via trade could be the most optimal way to accrue talent.

In this scenario, the Hawks get roughly $23 million in expiring contracts in the form of veteran big man Kelly Olynyk and 23-year-old guard Talen Horton-Tucker, ridding Murray’s contract from their payroll. They’d also get the No. 16 overall pick from the 2023 NBA Draft, Keyonte George, who has shown flashes of upside and potential during his rookie season.

Moreover, Atlanta would get a 2025 first-round pick via the Minnesota Timberwolves as well as two second-round picks from the Hawks in 2029 and 2030.

Of the three trade packages, this feels like the most mutually beneficial deal. Utah gets a foundational piece to pair with their core of Markkanen and Kessler while consolidating the roster while Atlanta gets a talented young player, salary cap relief, and draft capital.